Women going through the menopause in England will be able to access cheaper HRT prescriptions from Saturday 1 April 2023 with a new 'season ticket' called The NHS Hormone Replacement Therapy Prescription Prepayment Certificate (HRT PPC).
You'll be able to use your prescription certificate against an unlimited number of HRT prescription items, including patches, tablets and gels. There will be no limit to how many times the certificate can be used while it is valid. You can see the full list of menopause prescription items that will be available on the NHS website.
Using a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC), will last for 12 months and cost £19.30 for the year. The certificate estimated to help 400,000 women save money. About 15 per cent of women aged 45 to 64 in England are currently prescribed HRT, according to DHSC figures.
So, my next quest was going to be getting everything I’d got diagnosed and sorted privately – transferred over to the NHS. The GP I saw was fantastic - Yes she only had 10 minutes to offer me, but they were valuable minutes and she allowed me to talk and she certainly listened. At the end of it she said she was more than happy to prescribe me HRT. So having sorted the coil through the GP surgery - the only thing I will now continue to need to buy privately is the testosterone cream, as that is not available on the NHS.
I went to the NHS website and was successful in purchasing my HRT PPC. So as I was passing my GP Surgery on a walk, I thought I’d pop in and find out if I needed to do ‘apply’ the certificate. Sadly, at the surgery the receptionist had absolutely no idea what I needed to do with the certificate – she told me that it was something the government had announced but hadn’t set up a system for the GPS to follow yet? I’m sure, like any new system it may have its teething problems – however I think it’s a wonderful thing that its been created, and certainly a step in the right direction. It recognises a need for HRT and save women hundreds of pounds.
Update: 5 April 2023: Since the HRT prescription certificate launched on 1 April 2023, the Government says over 37,700 certificates have been bought, resulting in a collective saving of £1.13 million over the coming year.
Due to huge demand for the certificates, some people weren't able to access the website to purchase them on the morning of 1 April, but the NHS Business Services Authority, which administers the scheme, says this issue has been fixed and the website is now up and running.
If you haven’t bought yours yet – get yourself on line and save some serious £££’s!
With Love
Angeline 🦋
xxx
Angeline Davies is a qualified Health Coach Specialising in Perimenopause and Menopause.
Accredited By The PCI Royal College of General Practitioners.
